We have partnered with Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service to carry out an important training exercise in a city centre high-rise residential building.
The exercise, held at River Quarter on 4 December gave colleagues from Gentoo and Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service the opportunity to work together to resolve a mock incident (Level 2 exercise, simulating a real life incident) and test the emergency procedures currently in place in the property to ensure residents are safe if there ever was an incident.
The exercise was carried out as if it was a real incident with six fire engines attending the exercise, cosmetic smoke filling the basement and water hoses (delivery hose was used with water and firefighters carrying thermal imaging scanners and wearing breathing apparatus) were used to create a realistic environment for the firefighters to train in.
Catherine Wheeldon, Risk and Continuity Manager at Gentoo, said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for both Gentoo and the fire and rescue service to test our incident response arrangements.
“The recommendations made within the Phase 2 Grenfell Report act as a stark reminder of why it is so important to have strong and established relationships in place with the emergency services to ensure our customers are safe in their homes.”
Mark Robinson Watch Manager of Operational Assurance at TWFRS, said: “We train and exercise all year around to highlight areas of improvement and continued professional development, proactive to risks in our community. An opportunity to work with Gentoo to create a realistic scenario where we could collaborate and scrutinise best practice was a great example of this.
“The tall building basement scenario utilised skills in breathing apparatus, incident command and control messaging to reach a successful conclusion. Thanks goes to Crew Manager Thompson, Sunderland Central Blue Watch and Gentoo for the planning and organisation of a complex exercise of this nature.”
Ahead of the exercise, we contacted customers and surrounding local businesses to let them know about the exercise and the importance of it. Customers then had the opportunity to speak to colleagues after the training to find out more and ask any questions about the exercise.
Catherine, added: “The safety of our customers is paramount, and this exercise provided us with an opportunity to test our arrangements in a safe and controlled way, so we can ensure if the worst ever happens, we are prepared.”
For more information about building safety at Gentoo, click here.
